Thursday, June 1, 2017

KMU Course Selection: Interpersonal Development

The following is a blog post highlighting a specific department that will be offered at KeyMan University this summer. Today's post is written by PA DeMolay's Director of the Sweetheart Program, "Mom" Angela Lennox, who will be the Department Chairman for the Interpersonal Development Department.

WARNING: After completion of this course you will be DANGEROUSLY
prepared to make DeMolay EXPLODE in your local jurisdiction. Please proceed
with EXTREME CAUTION!

You walk into a Chapter room, and you see a handful of members
from the local Lodge. How do you approach them? How do you show that you know
how to present yourself, and can socialize with them, just as you socialize
with your Brothers around you? How do you switch from that role to the role of
friend, acquaintance, or leader? Interpersonal skills are present every single
day, in every interaction you have with anyone. Memorizing words can be easy.
Everyone can learn quickly how to write an agenda. Approaching someone, making
eye contact, and keeping a conversation with others may not be as easy. Humans
are social creatures that actively seek out interactions with others.
Developing and refining the social skills we use each day is extremely
important and will make a difference in your experiences in school, at home,
and in DeMolay.

The Interpersonal Development Department is going into it’s second
year as a department at KeyMan, and is designed to evaluate, teach, and
strengthen the skills it takes to effectively work with other people. The
skills that we focus on include interpersonal skills, goal setting, and
leadership techniques. Before we can work effectively as a team, we must
understand and polish ourselves. We will explore topics such as
assertiveness, decision making, and other skills in the beginning of the week,
with a focus on learning about how we think and act as individuals.

Throughout the week we will take these individual skills and
discover how to apply them into social skills and use our personal strengths
and weaknesses to benefit our local chapters and jurisdictions. These
valuable skills are not only applicable to DeMolay, but also at school, home and
everyday life. We have designed your learning experience based around
“real-world” scenarios that will provide you the opportunity to analyze,
practice, and improve your skills. We will rely heavily on individual and group
participation, but the only requirement is that you take what you learned
throughout the week and apply it to your interactions and experiences with
others in DeMolay and your personal life.

Our goal is not to strictly talk “at” you. We are not looking to
lecture and drill skills into your brains. Instead, each day you will
participate in various individual and group activities, with a ton of
opportunities to openly talk, discuss, and debate with the Advisors and other
members of the department. Each activity is designed to assist you with
personally developing the social skills you already use and will continue to
use daily.

Whether you consider yourself a “social butterfly” or you feel
more comfortable sitting by yourself at a party, Interpersonal Development is
the right fit for you! Come to develop your skills, and leave knowing you have
improved yourself as a person. We look forward to seeing you in August!